Objectionable Circumstances
by guesstimate
Summary: Circle Daybreak thinks they have discovered the fourth wild power…a human girl. They send in an undercover agent to discover if their suspicions are correct and to protect her from the NW. They send a dragon…in the form of her new pet dog.
1. Chapter 1

OBJECTIONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Lakh Suzerain strode through the cramped dingy circle daybreak HQ. Crowds of people of various different species littered the corridors but that posed no problem for him. He smirked when he saw those directly in his path scramble to get out of his way. He was not in a good mood. When he was not in a good mood he made sure people knew about it, no point suffering in silence now was there? After a few.unfortunate accidents, people tended to be a lot more considerate, and understanding when he wasn't exactly feeling his best.  
  
He growled again under his breath when he thought of how early he had been made to get up this morning. Emergency meetings his ass, nobody messed with his sleep without good reason. This better be good. Pausing at the receptionist's desk he smiled sweetly at the woman behind the computer screen. Without saying a word she grinned back and handed him the largest chocolate bar available in the area. An expression of ecstasy crossed Lakh's face as he shredded the foil covering and demolished the chocolate bar faster than was humanly possible- but that was okay, 'cause he wasn't human.  
  
After satisfying his addiction he paused to fish around in his coat pockets before producing a neatly wrapped parcel that he placed carefully on Mrs Rosewood's desk before proceeding into the office at the end of the corridor, flashing his appointment card at the stammering clerk who bravely tried to bar his way. Well, looked like daybreak was finally trying to tighten up security a bit, about time as well. He himself had proved on numerous occasions how many places a little inspired shape shifting could gain you access to. Smiling at the remembered pleasure of being a fly on the wall in certain changing rooms he sat himself down in the only free available chair in the room and arranged his long limbs until he was comfortable, waiting for the woman sitting before him to speak.  
  
Falcon Stechpalme carefully tried to analyse Lakh's frame of mind before she said anything. After a moments consideration she decided he was just about calm enough not to break anything when she told him about his latest little field trip. It had cost her quite a lot the last time he stopped by for a visit- Ming vases just weren't all that common. Instantly knowing the reason for his unusual good mood she sniggered to herself. It had never failed to amuse her that a dragon, the most ancient species known to man, the most powerful, had an addiction to chocolate.  
  
Clearing her throat she nevertheless tried to think of the best way to phrase what she had to say. 'Nice to see you again Lakh. Now the reason I called you in this morning is I have a very important mission for you, one that will need you to start immediately, today in fact. After long consideration we decided you were the only one suitable for the job, so we would really appreciate it if you didn't screw up.'  
  
'You know, before you start debating my competency maybe you'd like to tell me exactly what this mission is first.' Lakh mumbled darkly from the other side of the table.  
  
'If you'd give me a minute I was just getting to that,' she added with an impatient sigh, sliding the thick file in her hands across the sleek mahogany desk till it was resting directly in front of him.  
  
'I'm very sorry to inform you that playtime's over. You've had a very generous amount of time off, and now it's time to get back to work.' Indicating that he should open the file she briskly continued, trying to outline what he would be doing in the simplest way possible.  
  
'That file contains as much info we could get on Ally Tourmaline.the person we suspect is the fourth wild power.' Lakh's head whipped up from where he had been scanning the pages in front of him. Shock was evident on his face, not just because it was the last thing he expected to hear but because he had just read what her species was.  
  
'But this girl is just a human, how could a human possibly hold that much power,' he demanded incredulously.  
  
Falcon gave him a disbelieving look, 'You do realise that the whole idea of circle daybreak, the people I might add that you work for in case you had forgotten, is to promote equality between all species, all species INCLUDING humans.'  
  
'Yes, yes, yes.' He muttered, tired of the old argument. On the whole he had nothing against humans, hence why he worked for daybreak and not the council. He'd met a few pretty tough individuals in his time and, he had to admit, quite a few of them had been humans. Underneath it all he had a grudging respect for the species, who despite their apparent weakness and vulnerability still managed to thrive in a world full of creatures far more powerful than them.  
  
Accepting his answer Falcon continued, thankfully this time with fewer interruptions. 'We are, as of yet, not absolutely certain if she is the one we are looking for but we do have very strong suspicions. Due to the fact that she is a human and thus unaware of a threat from the NW and vulnerable we need to send someone in to watch her, tell us if she is what we believe, and make sure no NW ers who pose a threat get within spitting distance of her. Naturally we need all this to be done without arousing any suspicion on her part and without alerting her to the presence of the NW until we are certain. Because of your, unique, abilities you were deemed best for the job.' Suddenly she paused and fidgeted slightly in her seat. Lakh immediately recognised the habit and knew something very unpleasant was going to follow.  
  
'Due to the circumstances we need to place you very close to her, introduce you into her intimate life. We though adding a new human to her life would simply be too risky, and would almost definitely not allow you the access you need.'  
  
'Intel found out that she's headed to the dog sanctuary at four this afternoon to select a new pet dog after her last one tragically went missing, and a couple of the witches mixed up a little specialised potion that would draw special attention to you so , er, all you have to do is rub a little lotion on, decide what your favourite dog is and we'll grease the wheels from there.' She finished very uneasily, knowing full well the extent and implications of what she was asking him to do.  
  
Lakh just sat there, frozen in shock, and utter disbelief. 'Wait just a second, are you trying to tell me you want me to become her new pet pooch? To spend an indefinite amount of time being taught how to beg for my food and going on walkies?'  
  
'Well, that's not exactly the way I'd phrase it, but technically.yes.' 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, first I would very much like to thank apsara, limegreenlion and Shelli for their reviews. I really appreciate it, please continue reviewing, it makes me happy. Everyone else who has read it and told me what they thought about it, you know who you are, thank you also. Oh, and if you happen to be someone who has read it and NOT told me what they thought about it, what are you waiting for?  
  
Ally sat in the passenger seat of her dad's car, literally bouncing with excitement. Finally after months of begging, blackmail and torture she had convinced her dad to let her get a dog. Suddenly she stilled for a moment as she remembered the compromise she had had to make.  
  
Her oh so compassionate father had flat out refused to let her have a puppy so he could go around all day wading through piss, shredded paper and shoes. After several pleasant discussions she realised she wasn't going to make any head way and changed her tactics. He had found no way to argue out of her getting a dog from the dog sanctuary. It would be miles cheaper to buy and they could get an older dog that was non destructive and all ready trained.  
  
As her father climbed into the car she resumed her bouncing, twenty minutes to four, only twenty minutes till they'd be there, then she'd be getting a dog, she'd be getting her very own dog, she still couldn't believe it. She would know, she thought as they started on their way. As soon as she saw him she would know which dog was right for her. She had already decided that she wanted a male dog so at least that narrowed things down some.  
  
When they pulled into the car park she leapt out of the car and raced through the doors and up to reception where she asked the lady behind the counter for the guide who was to take them around. She smiled sheepishly at her father as she saw him jogging up to the door, huffing slightly and not looking terribly pleased at being abandoned.  
  
'Er, sorry dad, the guide's just coming, ready to start looking round now?' She attempted to smile sweetly at him to calm him down but knew it wouldn't wash.  
  
'Yes, I am ready to walk around. You better stop squirming around though, you'll scare the dogs. They might think you have rabies.' Smiling smugly at getting retribution he preceded her down the narrow run between the cages, giving each prospective dog an assessing look whilst listening to the guide's questions.  
  
Ally pretended mock horror at his remark but couldn't sustain it for long; she knew underneath it all her dad was starting to look forward to this as much as she was. When the guide asked her what sort of dog she was looking for she looked up in surprise.  
  
'Oh, well, we're not really looking for a TYPE of dog. What I mean to say is I'll know which one I want when I see him. I know our dog will be male and dad here would like him to be potty trained, I hope that helps.'  
  
'Riighhht, well, that's original at least I suppose. Follow me, we keep the dogs and bitches in separate sections, there's also separate areas for trained dogs and younger dogs. Hopefully you'll find the dog you're looking for.' Waddling along the corridor she squeezed her rather large frame through the narrow gate and led them to the section they wanted, quietly mumbling under her breath. 'Maybe you could have dreamed what breed the doggie was too or maybe his name before you got here. Probably saw the wretched thing in a vision.'  
  
Stalking through into the right corridor she kicked one of the cages to make the dog shut up; stupid dogs, who would ever want them if they sat around yapping all day. When it fell quiet she put a smile on her face and started to tell them a bit about the dogs. She'd practiced that smile a million times and knew it was a winner; people always chose dogs when they were with her.  
  
Ally followed the woman along, pretending not to hear the comments. Grabbing her dad's arm she shook her head when she saw he was about to say something to her. When his face went that nasty red, blotchy colour, nothing good came out of that mouth- that she knew from experience. Walking around she peered into all of the cages, carefully inspecting the dogs. She looked up when the mean guide started talking again though.  
  
Wincing she looked away again; Christ that's an ugly facial expression. She wasn't quite sure what it was meant to be, the woman looked constipated and as if she was baring her teeth in severe pain. Somehow she doubted that was the effect she was looking for though. Ignoring her again she started walking up and down the rows.  
  
'Hey Ally, what do you think of this one?' Walking over to where her father was standing she peered into the cage. Sitting perched in a rather fancy dog box was a skinny, ugly little dog that had its legs crossed in front of it and its nose in the air.  
  
Wrinkling her nose in disgust she glanced up at her father in horror. 'My God dad, what are you thinking? First that has to be the ugliest dog I have ever seen and second it looks so high and mighty quite frankly I don't think it would so much as consider lowering itself to live with us!'  
  
'I'll take that as a no then shall I?' Her father looked slightly hurt. 'I don't know what you're talking about though. It looks like an exceptionally well kept, well mannered dog. Look it says here on the information card that this dog is 'very loving' and the owner hand reared it himself.'  
  
Ally walked over and took a good look at the card, when she had finished she looked at her father in amusement. 'I don't think you read the whole thing, why don't you go back and read the last line.'  
  
After a moment of confusion he bent over and read aloud from the card. 'Fluffy is a kind considerate dog. He is rather humble though, and scared of most other dogs and humans. He will need a lot of love and attention otherwise he gets lonely.' Looking up he gave his daughter a disbelieving look, was she finally going insane? He couldn't see anything wrong with the dog.  
  
'Yes, very nice but maybe you should read the bit underneath that.'  
  
'Previously owned by Hamish Ring. Tragically this poor dog has to be accepted into our establishment when the owner was sent to receive psychiatric care. Ah, I might just see your point there.'  
  
Smiling smugly she continued to walk down the isle. Poodle, ugly dog, three legged dog, smelly dog, correction VERY smelly dog! Keeping her hand firmly over her nose she quickly hurried around the corner. One dog left. When she was just about to reach the cage the guide suddenly appeared again and waddled around until she was positioned in front of her.  
  
'Ohh, you don't want that one.' She simpered, starting to lead them on. Obviously she thought that her bad opinion of the dog instantly meant that they also wouldn't like it. Well now, let's see, she didn't like the guide and the guide didn't like this dog. Your enemy's enemy must therefore be your friend. Taking an immediate liking to this new dog she crouched down to have a look at it. Then stood back up again. That is one BIG dog. Before she even knew what she was doing she reached into the cage and began stroking the dogs head, a smile on her face. This would be the dog she would choose.  
  
Lakh barked softly in pleasure. He still wasn't used to this form, but this was definitely something he could grow to like. He could smell chocolate on her too, lots of chocolate. By the looks of her the witch's lotion was working, no chance she would've chosen him otherwise. He didn't exactly exude an aura of playfulness and companionship. Trying to be subtle about it he sniffed around to try and locate where she'd stashed the goods, inwardly smiling when he saw a bulge in her trouser pocket.  
  
Looking pointedly at what he wanted he pawed gently at her pocket hoping she would get the message. Daybreak had warned him to dampen down his powers, or else he'd frighten the animals away. He'd done that but he still scared the animals away, maybe that said something more about him than his powers though. When she gave no signs of understanding her growled in frustration. Sometimes humans could be very dense. Okay if she didn't get the subtle approach then obviously he was going to have to be a little more direct.  
  
((Look at that poor dog in front of you, he looks half starved, you should give him your chocolate. The whole bar. Looks like he hasn't eaten all week!))  
  
He watched with satisfaction as she handed over the chocolate, pausing only briefly to remove the foil for him. As soon as it was within range it disappeared in his cavern of a mouth and he rolling onto his back, kicking his feet in ecstasy. That was another thing he was trying to teach daybreak. Subtlety gets you nowhere but a little mental persuasion can you get you anywhere you want to go with free accommodation thrown in too. This little adventure was starting to look much more promising. 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here is the next little bit to the story, hope you all like it. Let me know if you do, let me know if you don't. Thank you so much to those who've already reviewed: apsara, lime green lion, Shelli, la_apsara, smee, Lady Nyght and Hannah and especially to Austin and Miranda who helped me out with bits of the story. PLEEAAASSEE r&r!!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Lakh settled himself down on the large comfortable dog mat that Ally had set up for him in the corner of her room. As he was potty drained he had been allowed to sleep in her room. He could hear her talking downstairs with her dad so while she was busy he decided to have a quick look around her room. He was on a mission of course. That meant he had to make himself familiar with his surroundings. Of course, he wasn't being nosy or intrusive; he just had to find out as much as he could about her. The daybreak file had only been able to tell him so much. If he was going to find out whether she was the wild power and protect her from other not so pleasant individuals he had to know her inside out. Gain her explicit trust, learn her schedule, monitor who she spent time with, make sure wherever she went, he went.  
  
Shifting quickly into his human form he stood up and started walking around her room. Noting her diary on a bedside table he left that for a rainy day, he had to have some way to entertain himself around here. Spying a photo on her desk he walked over. In the picture she was posed in front of a large building which looked like a school with a boy standing next to her with his arm wrapped around her waist. Frowning he examined the boy. Judging by his pale perfect features and silver eyes he was a vampire. Taking an instant disliking to him he slammed the photo back down again, inadvertently cracking the glass. Smiling in satisfaction he moved on. He would not be forgetting that boy though. Never had he seen someone so arrogant. Smirking out of the photo you could see he thought himself very powerful and far superior to those around him.  
  
Well at least he had learned something. Ally's school had Night World students, and she had a terrible choice of friends. Turning around he almost bumped into the wardrobe. This room was just too damn small he thought, finding it rather difficult to manoeuvre his way around it, was a lot easier to do when he was only two feet high. Checking to make sure he could still here her talking downstairs he started sorting through the stuff on top of her desk, and drawers. This according to daybreak should be able to tell him a lot about her. Why they couldn't have employed a little birdie to find all this out he had no idea. Okay, he thought, lots of crap was meant to mean she was sane. Snorting he continued to look, that was doubtful, very doubtful.  
  
His head snapped up when he heard the voices stop downstairs. Putting down the odd looking wooden thing he'd been holding he quickly shifted back into his Wolfhound form and settled back on the mat, attempting an innocent look as Ally entered the room. It had taken a while to clear the Wolfhound shape with the superiors. Too inconspicuous, too big, too many problems for them, after 5 minutes he'd fallen asleep. They hadn't like that. As he's tried to explain though, he led a very active life; he couldn't help it if boring assholes put him to sleep. The way they worked him anyway it's amazing he got any sleep at all. Eventually he had explained to them that the only way he would be able to properly protect the girl was if he was something big, strong and intimidating.  
  
~  
  
Ally gave her new pet dog an assessing look; he had a look on his face that meant he'd been up to something. Checking her shoes were still intact she shook her head and settled herself down on her bed. She was a little uneasy now at having such a big dog but she supposed it was just the sort of thing that took a bit of time to get used to. Settling herself down more comfortably she ran through her checklist of things she still had to do for him. Brush and comb, check, feed and water, that would be later, choose name. Damn, she knew she'd forgotten something.  
  
Walking over to him she sat down in front of him, reaching over to scratch behind his ears the way she'd learned he liked it. 'Hmm, what am I going to call you?' she said absently, talking out loud had always helped her concentrate, and the sanctuary people had recommended it. It was meant to help the dogs get used to your voice. 'I don't want to give you a regular human name, that would be boring and you're too special for that aren't you? I suppose I'll just have to think about it.'  
  
Walking downstairs she began to prepare his dinner for him, thinking as she absently mixed meat and dry food. She would be meeting up with the gang tomorrow, but her dad would be out and she couldn't just leave her dog at home all by himself; that would be mean. Thankfully she had already bought a collar and lead so that wouldn't be a problem and she was sure her friends would love him as much as she did. Wincing as she heard her thoughts she realised how badly she had to sort out a name for her dog, she couldn't keep thinking of him as just 'dog'.  
  
Obviously smelling the food he wandered down the stairs and began to happily eat the food. Smiling contentedly at him she settled back in her chair to wait until he'd finished. When he looked half done, he picked the bowl up in his jaws and began walking outside with it. Curious Ally followed him, standing just inside the door she watched in amazement. He had meticulously eaten all of the meat and left behind all the dry food, which he was now neatly tipping into one of her dad's flower beds. Too stunned to do anything she simply stood rigidly still as he walked back inside and replaced the bowl where he'd left it, turning to give her a look of reproach as if she'd done something wrong, SHE, not him.  
  
Lakh looked at the girl in disdain. He had no problem eating raw meat, like any other average shape shifter it was an essential part of his diet. There was no way however that he was going to eat any of that stupid cardboard, artificial rubbish. Not for her, not for Daybreak, and certainly not out of the good of his heart. He saw her spluttering and quietly sat through her baffled scolding. It was to be expected he supposed, soon she'd learn though.  
  
Finished with her reluctant rant Ally plopped onto a nearby sofa and flicked the TV on so she could watch some Simpson's. Looking around she tried to see if there was anything available she could munch on as a snack. Spying a Kit-Kat on the kitchen counter she reached over to snag it. Carefully she went through her little ritual. Take off the paper wrapping, score the middle of the foil with her thumb nail, snap the two bits apart and then slowly pulling one of them fingers out. It was only then that she noticed the dog standing right in front of her salivating on the carpet. 'EWWW! Do you have to do that? That's disgusting, here don't worry I'll share, I'm in a generous mood.' Pulling the other half out she was just about to hand it over to him before she remembered what the guide had told her. Pulling it out of reach, the quietly but firmly told him to sit while pushing down on his rear end, he had to learn sometime or other, might as well start now.  
  
Lakh stared at the chocolate in disbelief, twice in one day? This was too good to be true. He watched mesmerised as she leant forward to give it to him and shut his eyes in pleasure hanging his mouth open in anticipation. When she didn't give him anything he shut his mouth again and cracked one eye open. Blinking a couple of times, he shook his head just to make sure his ears hadn't got clogged up. They must have, because he just thought she'd asked him to sit to get his food, and there's no way he was going to beg for anything. When she repeated the order and started to pull the chocolate further away he started to get desperate, she wouldn't, she couldn't, this was just too cruel, how could anyone be expected to do this? When he saw the chocolate all but vanish from sight he did what he had to do. His rear end hit the floor in record breaking time, and he craned his neck forward, almost taking her hand off with the chocolate when she offered it.  
  
Ally whipped back her hand in shock. That had been close; she had just felt the scrape of his teeth as she pulled her hand back. Shaken she began to flip through the channels, looked like she needed something a little more engaging than Simpson's this evening. Finally, landing on the film channel she waited till the break was over to see what film was on. After a very annoying loan advert she was greeted by the now familiar sight of a small be speckled wizard and his friends facing down a three headed dog. Suddenly inspiration struck. Whipping her head around she grinned ecstatically at the confused looking dog. 'I've just thought of the perfect name for you!' Pointing at the TV over her shoulder she all but squealed the name that she had selected, 'FLUFFY!' 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry to those who already read this chapter. Something obviously went wrong when I uploaded it and it lost all spacing and paragraphing. Anyway, I've uploaded it again and hopefully it's alright now.  
  
Hello all, thank you to those who reviewed:  
  
Jezel Blackwind, Shelli, Lady Nyght, la_apsara, Hannah, lime green lion and apsara.  
  
Special thanks to those who lent a hand with this chapter and the next, River, Austin, Miranda and Smee and my little brother Luca. Read, hope you enjoy, and please continue reviewing.  
  
Chapter 4.  
  
Lakh sat, frozen in shock, completely unable to move. That someone could.so much as THINK about naming him something so RIDICULOUSLY stupid absolutely mortified him. The absolute shame such a stigma would bring was unimaginable to him. By the time he managed to clear the red haze of anger from his vision he realised Ally had already gone to bed. Growling in repressed frustration, he prowled the room, searching for someway or something to take his anger out on.  
  
It was bad enough for him to become this lowly animal for so long, having to be subservient to anyone. But there was no way, no way in this lifetime or any other for that matter that he was going to let ANYONE address him as FLUFFY! Suddenly he tripped up and skidded across the shiny floor on his now far more padded feet. Almost about scream in frustration he turned around to see what had gotten in his way.  
  
Suddenly everything became clear.  
  
Resting innocently, and alone, was one solitary shoe. Looking beyond that he saw a veritable pile of women's shoes stacked in the corner of the room; a smaller, more subdued pile of shoes next to it, obviously her fathers. Picking up the shoe he dragged it over to sit in front of the large pile of shoes. In a much better mood, he spent the best part of the next hour happily shredding each shoe, spending an especially long time gnawing on the last one to help clean his teeth. Well, he had to clean them one way or another, and even Ally might suspect something if he started using her toothbrush.  
  
On a brief glance around the room his eyes eventually came to rest on the clock on the far wall. After a couple minutes the nagging feeling at the back of his mind came to the surface. Crap, he'd forgotten all about the daybreak meeting he was supposed to attend. Twice weekly updates on his progress etcetera, etcetera. Shifting quickly into his human form he quickly and quietly made his way out the door and ran down the road. Finally he made his way to the back alley where he'd parked his car and revving up the engine made his way rather reluctantly into the HQ.  
  
Taking out his swipe card he quickly gained entrance and made his way through the now much quieter halls to the interview room he was supposed to have occupied a full two hours ago. Pushing the door open, he was not even surprised to find Falcon patiently sitting behind her desk, waiting for him. Wincing slightly he sank down into the seat.  
  
'Sorry for the delay, car troubles, you know how it is.'  
  
Giving him an amused look she took another sip of her hot chocolate. 'Oh, don't worry Lakh, I've not been waiting long, I knew you'd be late, you always are for some reason or another. Car trouble? Interesting, same car we had refurbished for you last month?'  
  
Shifting in his seat he didn't quite meet her eyes, she was the one woman who could put him on edge, and she was very good at it. 'Right, yes, that would be the one, anyway, moving swiftly on, what was it you'd like to talk about?'  
  
Deciding she probably didn't WANT to know the real reason he was late Falcon settled back in her chair, knowing him this could take a while. 'You've been on the mission almost two days now Lakh, I want you to give me a preliminary report, you're plans for the very near future and anything else you think is relevant for me to know.'  
  
Reaching over to grab her mug, Lakh took a long, thoughtful swig of the soothing chocolate. Chocolate tastes soo good, soo sweet, he would consume it whenever and however he could. Lifting the cup for another drink he scowled at it when no more came out. Placing it back on the table, he sat quietly thinking for a while.  
  
'She has a boyfriend who's a vampire, saw a picture in her room; arrogant, big-headed, god-complex by the looks of things. I'll investigate that when school starts. Her favourite colour is blue, oh, and she wears cheap leather shoes that do not taste great.'  
  
Falcon looked at him curiously, trying to figure out why he was telling her all this stupid rubbish and when he would give her a proper report. Then it struck her, this was the real report. Suddenly she laughed in amusement. This boyfriend had certain similar qualities to Lakh here. In fact, she wasn't quite sure why he had such a negative reaction to him. If it wasn't for the species it sounded to her as if it could be his long lost twin. She tried not to think about what his last comment could mean. She'd already had nightmares about this month's damages bill and Lakh's already large contribution to it.  
  
'So, tell me Lakh, what do you have set up to try to find out if she's the wild power?'  
  
'Damn, I KNEW I'd forgotten something!' Banging his fist on the table in irritation the mug crashed onto the floor, breaking into several small pieces.  
  
Falcon took a deep breath and tried to remind herself that explaining that she had strangled their most important undercover operative because he was an idiot and had broken her mug would not go down well with the board.  
  
'Lakh,' she growled, taking short shallow breaths. 'That was the whole IDEA of the mission. What the hell have you been doing all this time! And that was my favourite mug for the goddess's sake!' Knowing she was not calm enough to deal with him right now she turned around and snapped at him.  
  
'Go away. Don't come back till you have something to tell me that's actually worth listening to.'  
  
Climbing uneasily to his feet Lakh made his way out of the door, carefully closing it behind him. Well, that went well, he thought. Walking slowly down the dimly lit corridors with flickering light he tried to think of what he really would do on this mission. He would have to try and find some way to put Ally in a situation that would make her use her power where there would be no Night World people around to notice. Not the easiest thing to do. He'd have to find some way to go with her to school as well. She'd be far too vulnerable there if he wasn't around to keep an eye out. Oh well, he'd come up with something, eventually he always did.  
  
Making his way to his car he was startled out of his reverie by a loud peal of laughter coming from the other side of the street. Absently looking over in disinterest his hand paused mid way to the door. Exiting what looked like a Black Iris, the famous chain of Night World clubs was the boy in Ally's photo, looking very comfortable with another girl. Growling under his breath he saw him sink his fangs into the girl's neck, take a leisurely drink and then blank her mind before walking on with her again as if nothing had happened.  
  
Damn that boy, if he had been messing around with Ally like that he would find out; and he would make him pay. Even if she tried to give him cardboard food and give him a bad name she did not deserve to be used, she was a good person. Slamming the car door behind him he manically drove back to the place he'd left his car last time and ran back to the house. Changing back into the dog form he settled himself down on a sofa, yawned and fell asleep, just as dawns first light began entering the room.  
  
~  
  
Getting up the next morning Ally blindly climbed out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. Never the most co-ordinated she was even less so in the morning. Brushing her hand along the wall to keep her balance in her still half unconscious state she ambled along the hallway to the kitchen when she suddenly pitched forward landing painfully on her front, jarring just about every bone in her body.  
  
'Ow, what have I done to deserve this?' she mumbled pitifully, painfully rolling onto her front she was almost buried under a mound of shoes that fell on top of her. Pushing shoes away left, right, and centre eventually she fought her way out and took a deep breath before looking in confusion at the chaos around her.  
  
What she saw around her was almost too much for her at this time in the morning. What she lay in was a sea of shredded shoes, all her own, all meticulously carved into pieces. Looking around her in horror her eyes finally came to rest on Fluffy, lying on the sofa, looking for all the world as if he was dead with exhaustion. Oh, she'd just bet he was, he'd been a busy boy tonight. It must have taken a while to do that to thirteen pairs of shoes. Walking over to him she roughly shook him. Blearily his eyes opened and after a couple of seconds focused on her.  
  
'Why, why did you do this? What could have possessed you to destroy ALL those shoes for apparently no reason? Why Fluffy?' Under her hands she felt Fluffy tense and growl softly at the mention of his name. Suddenly it all became clear to her.  
  
'Oh, so that's it is it then?' she demanded loudly, not even bothering to keep her voice down even though it was 6 in the morning. 'You don't like you name, well congratulations, YOU'VE WON!' Eyes blazing in anger she stormed out of the room muttering quietly, 'I'll think of a new name for you, you evil dog, I'll do that, but I'll make you pay, no one messes with my shoes, and I mean no one!'  
  
Lakh looked around, blinking a few times, everything confusing him after only two hours sleep. Trying valiantly to keep his eyes open, after a few minutes he failed miserably and fell asleep again, his head flopping back down onto the cushion.  
  
Right, as you can see Lakh is getting a new name. I've had a few people come up with suggestions and what I'd like all of you to do is vote for which one you think it should be. Vote once, vote twice, you can even vote three times if you really want to, I don't mind, all votes will be counted, the one with the most votes wins and will be used, I promise. Okay, the names to choose from are as follows:  
  
Grey  
  
Rakesh (meaning ruler of the moon)  
  
Dragon  
  
Lucifer 


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you once again to all who reviewed and especially to all who voted. As promised I have used the name that got the most votes. Sorry this chapter came a little later than usual; hopefully you'll all like it. Please read and continue to review!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Ally stormed out of the house, she was in a very bad mood and getting some fresh air and going for a walk always helped calm her down. Walking toward the village she shut her eyes slightly, enjoying the feeling of the cool air blowing her hair away from her face and the warmth of the sun shining down on her. As she was walking she thought about what that evil dog had done. Snarling slightly at the remember sight of all her beautiful shoes in a shredded lump of disfigured leather on the floor she vowed revenge. She would have to think of another name for him though. She really didn't think Fluffy was all that bad though, I mean what was wrong with it? It was so cute.  
  
He's such a wicked dog, she thought, like the devil incarnate, like Lucifer himself in dog form. No other dog destroyed things out of pure malice, with particular intent; they just did it because it was in their nature. She knew he's done it on purpose though, she just knew it. Thinking back on what she'd just said she realised she'd come up with the perfect name for him, Lucifer. That was everyone would know he was an evil, vicious dog, completely spiteful and vindictive. She had no idea what had made her choose him in the first place. She had been looking for a friendly lovable dog, one that wouldn't hurt a fly, probably a Labrador or something, and yet she's ended choosing the biggest, toughest looking dog that was staying in their establishment.  
  
Shaking her head in amazement she turned around the corner and found herself staring at the pet shop, more specifically, the product they had on sale in the front widow; a large, fluffy, pink collar and lead. A wicked smile forming on her face she purposefully strode up to the counter and asked for one and placed in an order for a dog tag with Lucifer and her home address engraved into it. In a much better mood and strode out of the shop and thought with glee the satisfaction she was going to get in making her stupid, fussy dog wear a bright pink collar. He hadn't like fluffy but he was going to HATE this. The best bit was, there was nothing he could do about it, and it would be wear this, or never leave the house, eventually he'd need to go to the toilet.  
  
Laughing to herself in delight she paused as her phone started to ring. Digging around in her bag it took her a full minute to fine her mobile amid the debris but once located she whipped it out and pressed the accept button, not even pausing to look at the number.  
  
'Hello?' she muttered distractedly as she narrowly avoided getting run over when crossing the road.  
  
'Hi Ally, miss me?' drawled an arrogant male voice over the phone. Instantly a grin lit up Ally's face as she heard her boyfriends' voice for the first time all month.  
  
'Hi Darien! When did you get back, when can we meet up? I've missed you so much! I've got soo much to tell you. I got this evil dog, Lucifer and he destroyed all of my shoes!' Pausing for breath she realised she had been babbling again, she knew he hated that so she calmed herself down and went quiet, waiting to hear what he would say.  
  
'Yeah, that's nice. Anyway, I was calling to ask if you wanted to go to the mall today. See if we bump into some of the others, maybe have a look round some shops if there's time.' Knowing she would agree to anything he said he just continues. 'I'll pick you up hour alright? See you then.'  
  
Ally stood staring at her tone sounding in her ear. It had sometimes upset her how brief and seemingly uncaring Darien was, but he had explained it was just because he was a very busy person; he didn't have time to spend talking to people. She knew he cared for her really.  
  
Hurrying the rest of the way home she pushed open the door and flopped down on the sofa, staring dejectedly at her only remaining shoes, a battered pair of trainers that had only survived the vicious massacre as they had been in the bottom of her wardrobe. Darien was always so particular about looking good all the time, she knew he wouldn't like her going out with him wearing ancient shoes but she had no choice, she would buy some new ones when they went out.  
  
Suddenly remembering the bag in her hand she ran up the stairs to find the evil dog. Pushing open the door she saw him lying sleep on her bed. Letting out an outraged gasp she strode around the side of the bed and tried to push him off the bed. The lazy wretch was still sleeping! Not only that but it was sleeping on her bed, HER bed! It had its own bed, in the corner of the room, and it had been nice enough of her to let him sleep there in the first place. Grunting under the strain, she just about managed to push hard enough to send Lucifer over the end of the bed. Not being a cruel person she had already positioned his dog mattress to break his fall. Nevertheless she smiled in satisfaction at the thud he made as he hit the floor.  
  
~  
  
Lakh was rudely jerked awake from a very pleasant dream when he hit the ground. Not being the first time it had ever happened to him he knew what had happened before he opened his eyes. Mentally reprimanding himself for sleeping so long he dragged up his head and stared at the enraged female huffing and puffing in front of him. Blood shot eyes blinked a few times until they focused properly.  
  
Crap, he thought. She looks like she's on a mission and it has got something to do with me. Noticing her brandishing an oddly shaped plastic bag he cocked his head and waiting for her to let it rip. Unable to control a huge yawn he slowly came more alert and propped his back against the wardrobe as he sat up.  
  
'Well, I'm sure you'll find your new name far more suitable. It definitely suits your nature. Evil by nature, evil by name, your new name is Lucifer. The pet shop is getting a dog tag engraved but in the meantime I bought you a few basic essentials, a collar and lead.' Fishing the mentioned items out of the bag she screwed up the empty container in a fast, vicious movement and threw it into the bin on the far side of the room.  
  
Lakh slowly watched the piece of plastic arch across the room in front of him and barked in approval of her good aim. It was hard to throw something so light, took practice, she obviously had a lot of it. Frowning slightly he realised it did not bode well for him that she had great aim and had spent a lot of time practicing throwing projectiles at small targets.  
  
Looking to what she had in her hands his eyes narrowed in loathing of his least favourite colour. Looking in disbelief at the ridiculous pink ensemble he reared his head back and gave her a look of disgust. There was no way he was wearing a harness of any kind, let alone a PINK one!  
  
Seeing the expression on his face Ally smiled in satisfaction. 'That's right, you'll be wearing a pink lead, with a pink collar, or else you wont leave this house, ever.' Hearing the door bell ring she started forward and moved to put the collar round his neck. 'Starting from now you're going to get to know this piece of leather very, very well. That's my boyfriend Darien and we're all going to go out for a nice trip to the mall and you WILL behave.'  
  
Lakh shrank back against the wardrobe in revulsion of the evil object. That didn't stop him from snarling and growling at the mention of the bratty vampire he had seen last night. Oh, he'd go out with them alright, daybreak would have his job if he let her go out alone with a Night World person. That and he had one or two things to say to the leech and he was sure he'd manage to get his point across. One way, or another. 


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again. Thank you once again to all those who reviewed and especially to those who have continued to review. I very, very, very much appreciate it. The last chapter didn't get as many reviews so I'm guessing people didn't like it as much. Anyway, I hope everyone likes this chapter, please review it whether you do, or whether you don't. Sorry it took a little longer to get up, school started, then I got a cold/flu, very busy, will try to get the next chapter up a bit quicker. Oh, almost forgot, thank you very much to the person who came up with a suggestion for this chapter. As you can see, suggestions are both appreciated and used so if you have them, review, tell me, within reason I'll use it.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Wrestling the collar over Lucifer's head Ally raced downstairs to answer the door, throwing it wide open she launched herself into her boyfriend's arms without a second thought. So happy to see him she barely noticed that he did not hug her back and pulled away rather quickly. Pulling Darien through the door she quickly shut it behind her then turned around to face him.  
  
'Darien! It's so good to see you again; I always miss you when you're gone. Where did you go? You must've forgotten to tell me.' Reaching out she took hold of his hand. She started to get a little worried when Darien didn't answer her and seemed to be looking around the room.sniffing! 'Darien?'  
  
'What!' he muttered impatiently then seemed to remember where he was. 'Right, yes, of course, I must have forgotten to tell you.' He pulled away from her and wandered through the rooms of the house, still sniffing, and blatantly not answering her question.  
  
Ally followed her boyfriend around, starting to wonder if he'd hit his head on the way in the door, he always wore such ridiculously chunky heeled shoes, he liked to feel much taller than everyone else for some reason. She had always found it a bit weird that he wore higher heels than she did, but knowing his strange temper and even stranger sense of pride she knew better than to mention it. Finally she saw him running his hands through his hair in frustration and come to a stop. Patiently she waited with a frown on her face to hear the excuse of his peculiar actions.  
  
'There's a disgusting smell in your house and I can't work out where it's coming from. I mean, it smells almost like a dog, but that's impossible, you don't have a dog, and no one we know has a dog either.' Suddenly he turned around to face her, a disgusted look on his face. 'It's not you is it? I mean, I know you don't like perfume but that's no excuse to smell that bad!'  
  
Ally just stood there, staring at him, mouth hanging open in absolute amazement. 'Where the hell do you get off talking to me like that?' her fists suddenly clenched and she became more than a little fed up with his little mood swings. 'Of course I don't smell that bad and I have no idea what horrible smell you're talking about, the house smells fine! For your information though I do have a dog, shows how little you know about me doesn't it? You and Lucifer should get along just fine, you're both arrogant, egotistical bastards at times!'  
  
Whirling around, shaking slightly with anger she stormed up the stairs and slammed her door behind her. He would follow her, he always did, but she wanted a bit of time alone first. Banging her head back against the door, she slowly let herself simmer down and slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor. She shut her eyes and asked herself for the thousandth time why she put up with him and the way he treated her. He cared for her she reminded herself, and she cared for him, nobody was perfect that was all. Suddenly she became aware of a quiet noise in the background and she furrowed her brow in irritation. With her eyes still shut she located the direction the noise was coming from then slowly opened her eyes, really not in the mood to deal with anything right now.  
  
What confronted her made her blink a couple of times and then groan in defeat. Facing her from across the room was a very large pissed off dog.wearing a pink collar and lead. After a few seconds she saw the hilarity of the situation and burst out laughing. Bordering on hysterical she slowly sank down until she was lying on the floor, helplessly convulsing with fits of loud, infectious laughter. Eventually it subsided to giggles then stopped completely and she let out a sigh of relief, laughing had always calmed her down, got rid of stress.  
  
Rolling onto her stomach she crawled over to her beloved dog and plopped down beside it on the mat. Slinging an arm around Lucifer's shoulders she cuddled up to his side and rested her head on his neck, the feeling of the hard, quivering muscles oddly soothing. 'Well doggy dearest, now you know how I felt this morning. You're just going to have to put up with the wretched collar aren't you; well think of it this way. I could have gotten you the leopard skin collar with the bow on the front; somehow I think you'd like that one even less.'  
  
The door in front of her suddenly, but predictably crashed into the wall and she slowly turned her head to view the large boy standing in her doorway. Instinctively she moved closer to Lucifer and strangely she noticed he was growling more.at Darien! Turning her head back again she looked forwards and backwards between the two, now wasn't that odd, she'd been sure they'd get along just fine. Sighing, she slowly stood up and moved to her wardrobe to grab her coat and slowly made her way out the door, nudging Lucifer out in front of her.  
  
She knew all too well that neither of them wanted to argue, that it never did any good, so she quietly made her way through the front door, lightly grasping Lucifer's collar in her hand. As Darien stepped out after her she snatched her bag off the mantel top and locked the door behind her. Suddenly he seemed to become aware of the dog closely leashed to her side, still trembling with rage and now growling ferociously. Feeling a backlash of the dragon's momentarily unrestrained power he staggered back several steps and fell over the plant pot Lucifer had dumped his dry food in the previous evening. Lying in a crumpled heap on the floor he barely even noticed his lap-full of dog food as he stared incredulously at what appeared to be an average, if extremely angry dog in front of him, not understanding how the waves of raw power could possibly be coming from it, and trembled slightly in fear.  
  
Lakh, realising what he'd done, quickly leashed in his power. Much as he'd like to sit here all day, tormenting this little wretch, he had a cover to maintain. Once he had put all of his mental wards back up and disguised all signs of being anything other than ordinary he stopped barking and walked over until he was standing above Darien.  
  
With unexpected calmness he slowly cocked his leg and emptied a full bladder over the quivering vampire. Turning to give him a look of utter disdain and disgust he turned and roughly kicked a pile of dirt over the slowly spreading stain. Walking back to Ally's side he had a look of smug approval on his face as he surveyed the sight before him. In his opinion, his efforts had actually improved the boys' stupid attire. No one should wear all white; it just looked stupid, as if they were dressing up as angels. He knew for a fact this boy was no angel so he had no excuse. He would make him pay for the way he treated his girl. While she was under his protection no one messed with her, and that meant no one. Other than him of course, he only did what was absolutely necessary and it was for her own good after all. 


	7. Chapter 7

Hello once again. I am very, very sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter up, school started so I have been rather busy. I should be updating again now on a regular basis. Thank you again to all the people who have continued to review, if this is full of grammar and typing errors I am very sorry, I tried to get it written as quickly as I could. Hopefully all who read it will enjoy it. If you have the time, please review, they are deeply appreciated.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
It had been a couple of hours since they had dealt with Darien, to his great satisfaction Ally had just turned around and marched back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Finally that boy was being brought down to earth, it was about time too. He had left Ally to go upstairs alone, he might be an idiot sometimes but even he could see she needed some quiet and solitude right now, time to work out what she was going to do to him hopefully. To be quite frank it had seriously annoyed him to watch her being so submissive to that jerk. He had been around through several ages, several eras, it was not easy to see the old prejudices still lingered.  
  
With a great sigh he settled himself down on the sofa again, much as he hated to do it, he would have to start working out what he could do to stimulate her powers, try to bring them out, whilst not bringing them to the publics notice. It was a unique situation for him; he'd never had a mission quite like this one before obviously. He had met the other wild powers, although only briefly and he did know how it worked though. She had to be bleeding somehow and be so upset, angry or just so determined that the power would simply manifest itself and help her.  
  
Images of the searing blue fire entered his mind and he smiled, almost being able to picture her using it. 'What! The shoes are 75 pounds!!! That's not possible, I only have 55!!' Boom goes Ravel. Infinitely amused he spent several minutes thinking of other scenarios, then it came to him what the most likely one would be. 'LUCIFER, you wretched dog! You just RUINED my date!!!' Boom goes dog, ouch. He might be powerful, but his power was nothing compared to what the wild powers could wield, they were the only thing on the food chain that were higher than him. He'd be lying if he said that didn't bother him, worry him.  
  
Making her bleed was easy enough, he could just scratch her any time, but it would be a hell of a job trying to get her worked up in safe surroundings without the target being him, something told him it would be damn near impossible. Looks like he was just going to have to hang around, look out for her, and try to keep her out of trouble and out of the lime light. That was going to be a little difficult when school started back; luckily he had another 3 weeks or so till then to sort things out though. With any luck, all this mess would be done and dusted well before then. She could be sitting in a nice, safe, Circle daybreak compound with lots of little witches to worship her, and he'd be sitting at home, happily munching away on as much chocolate as he could get his hands on.  
  
Sick and tired of being in his cramped, smelly dog form he shifted into his human form and slowly stretched himself out on the sofa. Ally's father was out for the whole weekend and he doubted she'd be down for hours. Annoyingly his feet hung over the end of the sofa, growling is frustration he manoeuvred himself to a more comfortable position. After all this time, the stupid furniture manufacturers still hadn't pegged onto the fact that not everyone was under a metre and a half tall, especially not him. Gradually exhaustion set in and he slid into a deep dreamless sleep, senses shutting down, leaving him oblivious to everything.  
  
~  
  
Ally rolled over to her side, snuggling deeper beneath her duvet. It was a habit she'd had from when she was very little, when she was bothered by something, thinking about something, she would crawl into bed, fully clothed at times, and put on some music, doing nothing but think. There was something comforting about the comfortable, cosy warmth you got when lying in bed. Sighing deeply she thought again of the afternoon she'd had.  
  
Just a few days ago everything had been fine, then suddenly everything had started to go pear shaped and she didn't have a clue what had happened or what she'd done to deserve it. One thing she did know was that she didn't like it, she did not like it at all, and she was going to figure out what was going on if it killed her. Hearing her stomach grumble exceedingly loudly she giggled a little and threw the covers back, reluctantly swinging her legs over the side of the bed and easing herself out.  
  
With her dad away for the weekend she would have to do all the cooking, cleaning, and looking after Lucifer all by herself, well, it should be an experience. Slowly walking down the stairs she realised how sluggish she'd gotten lying in bed so long and rubbed her eyes slightly trying to wake herself up as she wandered through the lounge into the kitchen. When she crashed into the sofa she groaned and hopped around a little rubbing her shin. Next time, she reminded herself, try not to shut eyes when crossing cluttered areas, and is not good for your health. When she's calmed herself down she looked up and was about to carry on her way through to the kitchen when she froze.  
  
Shaking her head slightly she rubbed her eyes again. Christ! She must've been more tired than she though, now she hallucinating too. It was definitely wishful thinking to see a big, very good looking sleeping teenager sprawled out on her sofa; laughing to herself she decided she and her best friend Ivy were going to kill themselves laughing over this one. Opening her eyes again she was very confused when she saw the boy was still there. She supposed she should say man really, he looked about nineteen or twenty. Carefully edging her way around the sofa she punched the boy hard on the shoulder. Frowning she realised she'd rather aggressive, oh well; she had a lot of pent up anger to get rid of. Her eyes slowly widened when she realised that not only had her fist most definitely made contact, and now hurt rather badly, but she boy was waking up.  
  
A few seconds later she herself looking into a pair of rather peeved eyes. Staggering back a few steps she blinked in shock, her mouth wordlessly opening and closing. She'd seen those eyes before, both in real life and in her dreams, the last time she'd seen them though they'd been securely placed in Lucifer's face. Unable to comprehend what was going, everything weighing down on her everything confusing she felt herself beginning to panic and starting to get very scared. Stumbling back another step she found black dots suddenly swim in her vision and then everything went black. 


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you, so, so much to those who keep on reviewing, it means so very much to me that you do and that you like my story. I hope you all like this chapter, I know it's a little slow, but it's necessary as a filler. I can guarantee the next chapter will be eventful though. If any of you have suggestions on what you want to happen next, please tell me. I haven't decided yet so if any of you have ideas that are feasible and in character I'll do what I can to incorporate them.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Lakh jerked up to his feet and just stood there, frozen in shock, staring at the limp body sprawled at his feet. Oh Goddess, he'd really gone and done it now. It probably hadn't been a good idea to fall asleep in his human form while on a mission and STILL in the house of the person who only knew him as a dog. Pacing around the living room was hurriedly running through all his options, sending nervous glances in Ally's way every so often.  
  
He could use a little mind persuasion on her to convince her she hadn't seen him but he didn't like doing big things like that unless it was absolutely necessary. When you did that you took away all that persons thoughts and feelings and memories from the whole period of time. It wasn't something you could get back. He could just disappear he supposed and Daybreak could find another operative that would worm his way in, but that would be a lot of work. Sitting back down on the sofa he let out a long sigh and looked at her again. She looked so peaceful and innocent, he couldn't lie to her. He'd have to tell her everything. First he'd have to let Falcon know, releasing a growl of frustration he stalked over to the phone and carried it back to the sofa, already punching in the numbers to her direct line.  
  
Smirking slightly he counted off three rings and 2 seconds before she picked up. He'd been doing this job for way too long. 'Yes?' came the slightly irritated voice over the phone.  
  
'Erm, yeah, nice to speak to you again Falcon, just phoning to say there's been a slight problem but it'll all be sorted out in no time.' Sitting forward in the chair he hoped she'd just leave it at that, but knew she wouldn't.  
  
With a sigh of resignation she set down her mug of hot chocolate and concentrated on the phone conversation. 'Lakh, I don't believe I recall an incident in which you didn't call to express bad news. Quite frankly, you screw up rather a lot; if it wasn't for your unique abilities I'm sure we probably would have you around. I suppose you better tell me what you did this time so we can try to sort it out before it gets any worse.'  
  
Lakh sent another quick look at Ally to make sure she was still out then started to relate the problem. ' I really needed a nap, and well, I always sleep best in my human form and everyone was either out or busy so I didn't think it would be a problem. Well, er, Ally sort of came down and saw me.'  
  
Falcon took her phone away from her ear, shook it and then put it back to her ear again. 'Sorry, my phone must have gone a bit haywire cause I though I heard you say you were sleeping on the job and your target saw you napping on the couch in the wrong form.'  
  
Lakh shifted nervously at the other end of the line, 'No, no, it's alright, both the phone and your hearing are fine I'm happy to say.'  
  
Tightly reining in the urge to scream down the phone she took a deep breath and continued, 'Well, I would tell you what a ridiculously stupid thing to do that was, but then, you already know that. What else happened? I know you and there's something else or you wouldn't be calling.'  
  
Knowing this bit would be the part she'd like the least he thought hard about how best to phrase it. 'Well, when she saw me in human form, she sort of fainted. Very convenient eh, gives us plenty of time to sort out what to do, and if you like I can just tell her I'm a thief or her long lost cousin or something, whatever you like Falcon.'  
  
'You know, I thought we'd actually gotten to a point where you ceased to amaze me, but it looks like I was wrong. You've been in just one week, a week Lakh and already you've messed up. Well, you know we have a strong policy against mind control; you're going to have to tell her. May as well tell her it all, at this point I can't see what harm it will do. But you better make sure you word it very carefully because you are staying in that house until we are certain if she is what we are looking for and you better trust me on this Lakh. If she doesn't want you in that house, you won't be in that house.'  
  
Hearing the dial tone in his ear Lakh slumped back on the sofa and threw the phone on the opposite couch, slowly and repeatedly hitting his head against the back on the seat in frustration. How did this happen to him? How did he end up messing up every single time?  
  
Letting out a weak moan at the headache starting to form at the back of his skull he crouched down beside Ally, who was still unconscious. Damn, he was going to have to wake her up somehow. Leaning closer he said her name, hoping to get some sort of response. Gradually getting louder and still to no response he realised she wasn't going to wake up that way. Reaching forward he grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly shook her but she still didn't so much as flutter an eye lid. Growling in anger he stood up and began pacing again, trying to think of what he'd seen people do in films, and then it hit him. Running through to the back garden he grabbed the small bucket that was always hanging around and filled it up from the garden tap.  
  
He walked back through to where Ally was lying, trying not to get too much on the carpet. Carefully calculating the angle, he tipped the bucket upside down and spilt the contents over Ally's head. He watched with satisfaction as she let out a gasp of shock at the feeling of the freezing cold liquid drenching her whole upper body and finally coughing a little returned to full consciousness.  
  
That's when she noticed him, and realisation dawned in her eyes. 'Ooo, I don't know who you are, what you were doing asleep on my couch, or why you're still here. But you better start running and run fast, cause when I catch up with you, your life aint gonna be worth living!' 


	9. Chapter 9

Once again to those who keep reviewing, thank you all so much, it's what gives me the confidence to keep going. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please r&r.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Ally sat still on the carpet, shivering in her soaked clothes, glaring furiously at the guy crouched in front of her. He had better start explaining his presence and actions very soon otherwise she was going to call the police, in fact, she might just call them anyway. She was sure if she made a quick sprint she could make it to the kitchen and grab a frying pan to knock him out if necessary. Seeing him shift uncomfortably then settle back onto her sofa she settled herself down, he didn't seem too hostile. Even if he had dumped an entire bucket of water over her head by the looks of it. That, he was going to pay for, especially if she got flu.  
  
He was a pretty big guy and looked very strong so she was rather nervous. Her dad wouldn't be back for another day yet so she was home all alone. Absently she noted that he was exceptionally good looking but was too mad and scared to pay too much attention to it.  
  
Lakh winced as he took in her expression. Oh, it was going to be fun convincing her to let him stay in the house. She looked torn between bashing his brains out and running as far away as she could, screaming all the way. He took her threat very seriously though. She may be human and a woman but he had no doubt that if she really wanted to make his life a misery she would find a way. After quick consideration he decided it would be best to try and sum up the situation as quickly and simply as possible. Taking a deep breath he rolled his shoulders, almost as if he were preparing for a fight and started talking.  
  
'Now, I understand that you're probably very confused and rather mad right now but there is a perfectly rational explanation for my being here so please just listen to me. There is a secret society of vampires, witches, werewolves and shape shifters that form something called the Night World. They are in some ways similar to those is folk tales but because of persecution and smaller numbers they had to conceal what they were from the world. Over the years the Night World has divided into two halves, one with the original Night World beliefs, being never to tell a human about the night world, and never to fall in love with one of them and then the other who have new ideas.'  
  
Pausing for breathe he looked up to see how she was taking all of this. He could understand how it was all a little hard to swallow first time round. Curiously he couldn't detect any particular emotion on her face at all and she was sitting perfectly still in the exact same position as she was last time he'd looked up. Taking this as a good sign he continued.  
  
'This other group is called Circle Daybreak, it is a former witch circle, now open to everyone who are trying to unite all species with humans to create peace, to banish all the prejudices that are around. Currently those two groups are opposed to each other and it is prophesised there will be a great war between the light and dark sides.'  
  
'Seventeen years ago a prophecy was created that said four with wild power would stand against the dark, and if the light managed to gather all four then they could defeat the other. I work for Circle daybreak and so far we have under our protection three of the wild powers. Basically they wield blue fire that is stronger than any other force known to this world. I know this is going to sound really, really, wacky but we think that you might be the fourth wild power.'  
  
Knowing this would be the bit she'd dislike the most he braced himself for all sorts of reactions. 'The Night World are constantly after the wild powers so if they find out you might be the fourth one you will be in danger, they will try to kidnap you and either kill you or train you for their purposes. That is why I'm here, I was sent by daybreak to protect you and find out if you were the wild power.'  
  
Finishing his mini speech he looked up again to see how she was coping. Seeing again the blank expression he frowned, now there was definitely something wrong with that. No one and he meant no one could hear all that for the first time and think nothing.  
  
'Ally, Ally are you alright? You're not saying anything.'  
  
Ally sat there, staring at him. She could not believe it, she just couldn't believe it. I mean if he was some sort of perv or thief or something she didn't exactly expect him to tell her that, but I mean, really, it was definitely not necessary to try and turn himself into some sort of white knight. Not only was he in her house for some obviously nefarious reason but he could even tell her the truth now that she had him cornered. Slowly getting angrier and angrier as he went on she finally came to boiling point at his last statement. Ally eh? That meant he had been spying on her all this time. And was she alright? Of course she wasn't alright, what did he think!'  
  
Trying to remain calm she slowly stood up, shaking with anger, only narrowly avoiding tripping over the discarded bucket. She tipped her head back until she was looking him full in the face and her resolve faded slightly when she realised how earnest he looked and she felt a stomach inexplicably flutter slightly. Then she saw a confident, slightly smug expression spread over his face and she hit flash point again.  
  
'You idiot! Who the hell are you? Get out of my house, I never invited you in here, get out!' Punctuating each statement with a vicious kick or punch she slowly tried to shove him out the door but annoyingly he didn't seem to be affected at all. Letting out an indignant cry she lashed out and hit him in his stomach and her eyes widened in shock when eh didn't so much as flinch. Pulling her fist back she prepared to punch him again, she had never been the violent type but something about him just seemed to rub her the wrong way.  
  
Lakh had bee standing still, in his opinion quite graciously allowing her to take out all her anger and frustration on him. He thought she was most likely in shock now and so was not thinking rationally and was not fully aware of what she was doing. She would calm down in a minute and then properly take in what he'd said. Maybe she'd even be grateful for him looking out for her, grinning at the idea he suddenly realised she showed no signs of calming down at all in the near future.  
  
Frowning slightly he reached out and stopped her before she could hit him again. Sighing in remorse he realised he was going to have to explain again, in much more detail, he began to tell her what his name was and where he worked exactly to calm her down when his skin made contact with hers and everything went a little fuzzy. Shaking his head to try and clear his vision he was confounded when everything seemed to take on a pink haze. He hated pink! Looking up at her he began to wonder if maybe she really was the wild power and had some sort of power he didn't know about when he realised what was happening. When he felt the presence of her mind, mixing with his own his mouth fell open in shock.  
  
They, they, were soulmates. Dammit! He thought quietly to himself, just when he thought he'd gotten everything sorted out in his life too. His knees gave out and he crashed down to the floor, suddenly feeling frustratingly weak and helpless. With a soft cry of surprise he realised he had his arms wrapped around her then everything in the physical world seemed to fade away as he was seemingly yanked into her mind.  
  
~ ~ ~ 


	10. Chapter 10

Huge thanks to those who continue to review. I am so sorry for the excessive wait for this chapter, I had slight writers block I suppose, and I needed to be in the right frame of mind to write it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it and it's worth the wait. Please review, it's so disheartening if no one does.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Ally had no idea what had happened but she felt like she'd passed out, she was totally unaware of her body or her surroundings. There was just one problem, she wasn't unconscious and somehow she seemed to be able to hear all of this strange guy's thought and feelings.  
  
In the past couple of minutes she had garnered an amazing amount of knowledge on him. She knew his name was Lakh, that he did in fact work for this circle thingy, and all about this night world of his and that he was a dragon. With it she realised the true implications of just how powerful he was and began to get a little scared. She did know now that he had been telling the truth even if he was terribly misguided if he thought she was this great and powerful person.  
  
As the initial shock wore off she began to feel a great sensation of wonder at being able to see into another person's mind, experience what they were experiencing without any restraints or restrictions. She also felt an overwhelming sense of love for this person she had only just met but felt like she'd known for years.  
  
Through his eyes, she saw the loss he had felt when friends and family died before him, as he lived on and on, loving and losing. She saw how his life was stable now, the satisfaction he took in the work he did, the energy he put into it. As she saw the fruits of his chocolate obsession she felt herself smile it pure delight. Over and over she heard him repeat the same phrase and gradually came to understand its meaning. Soul mates. They were destined to be together, two souls, once one, going through countless lives in the hopes of uniting once again.  
  
Breaking out of her reverie she began to feel the waves of panic over the connection coming from him and felt the echoes of sorrow within herself that he wasn't taking this the same way she was. ((Lakh? Why are you scared? There is nothing to be afraid of, why aren't you happy?))  
  
Lakh was still trembling in intense shock. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy though and told her so. This had to be the most pleasant, unique experience he'd had in his life. He revelled in all the different recess's and quirks of her mind and felt himself fall inexorably in love but that just slowly mounted up to make him more and more afraid. Unlike his fellow peers he had no qualms over relationships with other species and humans but that wasn't what was bothering him.  
  
((There's a very good reason there's this stage called dating between meeting someone and committing yourself to them for life. MEN JUST AREN'T BUILT TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE WITHOUT IT!)) He could hear Ally mentally laughing at him and felt the equivalent of blush burn its way through his systems. Why did this have to happen to him now, life was going so good, so simple. Be good, beat the baddies, and eat chocolate. Now he had to deal with meeting the love of his life, aw crap, come on, couldn't this have happened on a weekend with someone other than the person he was meant to be protecting? Suddenly another thought entered his mind, yuck; it was like the story line of one of those crappy romantic novels. He could just see the blurb in his mind now:  
  
She was under his protection, a whole society out to get her. But due to the necessity of extended close proximity and intimacy will the two find it hard to resist the scorching passion that they feel for each other.  
  
Following his thoughts Ally laughed out loud again. She could sympathise with him to some degree she supposed, it was a bit of a shock, but he was being such a little drama queen! She loved that about men, they acted all big and tough but then the slightest thing happened and they make a mountain out of a mole hill. Sniggering more quietly now so as not to agitate him further she tried to talk sense into him.  
  
It was then that she remembered something that had all too conveniently slipped her mind. Whipping out of her befuddled state she tore her way out of his mind and sprang to her feet. After being slightly disorientated for a minute or two her senses sharpened back into focus and her knee impacted very sharply with his groin.  
  
Lakh was still reeling from the sudden separation of his mind from Ally's when all thoughts abruptly left his head. ((OOOOOWWWWW!!!!)) Pain seemed to radiate to encompass every region of his body and he curled up in a ball rolling in agony across the floor. No one had ever dared to try that one with him before, and for that he was damn happy, this didn't hurt as much as it looked on TV, it hurt more!  
  
Ally rigidly controlled the impulse to wince at the shared pain she now felt over their new connection and took some slight satisfaction in the fact that she had finally managed to hit him and make it matter. Waiting until he had quieted down a little she walked over until she was standing directly in front of him and he opened his eyes. Leaning down so he could see her clearly and there would be no mistaking the message she was getting across she began to speak.  
  
'You have been living under my house under false pretences for the past week, I've had to feed you, you even watched me undress and said nothing, but worst of all I've had to clean up all your crap for the past week and that really pisses me off!' Turning around the marched up the stairs and slammed the door to her room for the second time that day. Cranking her music up to deafening levels she slumped down on her bed awaiting the heartfelt apology she better be receiving before too long. Remembering his facial expression as she'd left him downstairs she grinned. Oh, he thought that was bad? He hadn't seen anything yet! 


	11. Chapter 11

Here's the next chapter, sorry it took so long to update, and life suddenly got busy and complicated. Then got writer's block, wasn't pleasant. Thanks to those who reviewed, thank you for bearing with me. A few people asked for a bit more of Ally's feelings to be put in. I have tried to do that a bit this chapter and will get some more in the next one as well, I promise, a few other important things need to happen though as well.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
After a while Lakh felt the pain recede enough for him to ease himself up off the ground onto the sofa. Settling himself back in what normally would have been a comfortable position he took several deep breaths. Oh shit, he'd really messed up now, what the hell was he going to do?  
  
Tip toeing into the garden he wrenched up a couple of semi decent looking shrub like things. He'd seen this done in films, it sometimes worked. Shaking loose dirt free in consideration of her carpets he trotted up the brief flight of stairs and rapped on her door. After a moments consideration he realised she wasn't going to hear him. Opening the door he walked in and turned down the music. He perfectly understood the action really; music was very therapeutic for most people.  
  
When he got nearer he noticed that her shoulders were shaking and winced, she must be really angry. It was only when he moved to stand in front of her that he realised she was crying. Ohgoddessohcrap. Rushing forward he paused awkwardly in front of her dancing from foot to foot, no clue what to do, but quickly starting to panic. Thinking back to daybreak he remembered something he'd seen other people do and awkwardly knelt down in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, rubbing her back.  
  
Ally had no idea why she had started crying. Everything had suddenly become a bit too much for her to handle. How was someone meant to deal with the fact that creatures of legend were no longer legend, one was hugging you right now, and you were destined to spend the rest of your life with them? Sobbing quietly she huddled closer to him trying to get some sort of comfort. She had no idea what to do, what to think. She hadn't ever expected to have to deal with something like this. She had no idea exactly what she felt about it, scared more than anything else though.  
  
Suddenly she felt so helpless, weak, and vulnerable. She would have no idea who these night worlders were, but they would know what she was, that she was weaker, and that they were stronger. She suddenly felt very bad for the way she had reacted so immaturely to Lakh. He had only been doing his job she supposed, she didn't particularly like it, but it wasn't his fault, not really. Knowing he could sense all that she was thinking she mentally apologised and then gradually fell asleep with a mixture of physical and emotional exhaustion. She still hadn't really gotten over her fainting stunt earlier.  
  
Smiling sadly Lakh lowered her down on the bed and curled up next to her. She could kill him when he woke up, he didn't really care at this point. He was damned anyway, less than 24 hours ago he had been one of the highest creatures on the food chain, now in a matter of hours, it had all come crashing down. His one vulnerability was finally making itself know and tearing through his carefully constructed life. Much as he might at times hate it he loved her and there was nothing he could do to change that, and he was going to protect her if it killed him.  
  
~  
  
Wraith Shantung snarled at the ringing phone that was vibrating in her pocket. She had always loathed these stupid machines but they forced her to carry one. Whipping it open she let out an abrupt greeting and waited for the report or further instructions.  
  
'Do you have the house in sight?'  
  
'Yes, I told you I would, don't be insulting. I'm not like one of your other little grunts who are so incompetent that I can't follow simple directions.'  
  
'You know that wasn't what I meant, and you better be more respectful, I am your superior, and you know better than to forget that.' Gritting her teeth together she let out a long slow breath and made herself more civil.  
  
'What is it that you want me to do now then?' Hearing laughter echo down the phone line she furiously controlled her anger, knowing it wasn't the time.  
  
'That's better, much better. For now, do nothing. Their operative is already in there, and now so are you. You have to find some way to integrate yourself into her life just as thoroughly as he has. I want you to be her shadow, that is meant to be your speciality; I don't want her to breathe without you knowing about it.'  
  
She looked at the phone in disbelief at the ridiculously clichéd line, he could not seriously think that was threatening could he? Well, apparently he did, how sad. Sighing unfairly at the fact that she had to take orders from such an idiot and confirmed the orders and set herself up for the night. There was nothing she could do now, the fun would begin tomorrow. It was about time she got a bit of action!  
  
Pulling her long coat around her she pushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder in annoyance and shut her eyes. Quietly chanting under her breath to passers by she seemed to totally disappear into thin air. 


	12. Chapter 12

I am very sorry for the very long delay in updating. There are a large number of reasons but basically school, exams and flu pretty much cover it. If this chapter sucks, I apologise, I currently have a temperature. The next one will be better however, and I promise there won't be such a long wait till it arrives this time. Thank you again to those who reviewed, please continue to do so, any input on my story is greatly appreciated.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Ally slowly woke up, the sun burning through her eyelids. Turning over restlessly, desperately trying to cling to her restful state she realised she was wrapped very snugly against none over than Lucifer himself. Blinking her eyes rapidly in shock she quickly woke up. Seeing the rather peaceful, if tired expression on his face she realised she should probably try to call him Lakh. It was his name after all and he hadn't asked for this mess any more than she had.  
  
Sighing deeply she watched in fascination as his rather shaggy hair lifted with her exhaled breath. The implications of their close proximity were finally dawning on her. She could feel his heartbeat, steadily beating close to her ear, the feeling of his arms around her oddly comforting. Running her hands up along his arms and across his back she marvelled at the strength she could feel. Feeling those muscles tense under her touch she froze, worried she'd woken him and unsure what to do.  
  
'Don't stop on my account.'  
  
Startled at the sudden sound of his deep voice her eyes whipped up to meet his. She could feel the vibrations of his silent laughter and started to carefully draw herself back out of his arms. When his arms tightened around her she looked up in confusion.  
  
Lakh stared back at her, equally confused. Over the millennia he had had thousands of lovers, but he suddenly felt as if he had never had a single one. Realising how nervous she was he simply eased her back against him and rested his chin on top of her head. Slowly he rubbed her back and where skin met skin, sparks trailed. The soulmate connection humming around them, the two leisurely drifted in and out of each others' minds. Marvelling at the details of each others lives. For a short while oblivious to all around them.  
  
~  
  
Wraith sat shaking with suppressed laughter. Transporting herself out of the room she took out the hated contraption and contacted her superior. Flipping her hair over her shoulder she glared evilly at a pervy old man who was leering at her until he quickly scuttled down the street. When she was finally connected she went straight into her report, knowing she didn't have to identify herself.  
  
'Well, first of all, I have to say, it would be damn difficult for me to get as close to the target as the Daybreak operative.'  
  
She heard a very confused silence and then a rather indignant voice came over the connection. 'Well, it's what you're being paid to do, so you better find a way.'  
  
Wraith just laughed even harder. 'Ah, but you see, you don't understand. The two of them are currently wrapped around each other in her tiny little bed. When I left them, they looked rather cosy. Unless you think she has lately homosexual feelings, which I very much doubt at this stage I think that's going to be rather challenging. As you of course are well aware, more challenging jobs require more pleasing pay checks.'  
  
The snarl that met her last question said it all. Hanging up the phone she dropped it into her pocket while she sat swinging her legs leisurely. She's always taken a very laid back approach to her assignments. She only very rarely made mistakes, and if she did, she covered her tracks and made up for it.  
  
Stretching lazily she mentally made her plans for the week ahead. Tomorrow was the first day of the school term. As far as she could see that was the best way for her to make her entrance, subtly. She would have to act fast, but it was amazing how much more efficient things could become if you used a little mental persuasion.  
  
Whipping out her phone again she told Midnight to make arrangements for her at the local school. It didn't matter what lessons. She was seventeen but the training she had received from her parents in her formulative years had taught her everything she needed to know. It was the only thing they had done right for her. By the age of twelve she had not only gone through rigorous physical training but also extensive academic lessons. She smiled in remembrance, a bitter smile. Her parents had formed her into the perfect little assassin. And then sold her to midnight to save their own lives. Generally she found it difficult to remember their faces; she hadn't seen them in five years, and they hadn't played a particularly big part in the first twelve either if memory served her right.  
  
Things weren't so bad for her now though she supposed, in fact, she was rather pleased with the way things were going. Due to her rather unique abilities she always got the more interesting missions. Life was never boring, which was all she had ever asked for. No parents, no school, a life of liberties, and a possible promotion in the near future if she did well on this mission.  
  
Throwing herself nimbly off the wall she strolled down the road to her car and quickly drove to her car. She would start having to be strategic. If she wanted it to seem natural that this girl befriended her she had to make herself similar to her in as many ways as possible without is looking suspicious. First things first would be clothes and hair, the first things most people noticed. Glancing at her hair she smiled. That at least was one less thing to worry about. Her hair was her one vanity and so remained reasonably stylish and would not have to be changed. Glancing down at her clothes she winced. Her loose, flowing clothes that guaranteed the maximum range of movement would unfortunately have to go. At the moment she looked as if she was wearing a more modern alternative of a martial arts uniform.  
  
Banging her head against the steering wheel she changed her direction and headed towards and shopping centre. Suddenly being surrounded by people she froze. She was jostled and jolted by people on all sides and it was very difficult to make her way through the crowds. Seeing a brief break in the masses she pushed her way through and dove into a nearby shop with relief.  
  
Glancing around she noticed in confusion that no clothes appeared to be on display. Frowning she shook her head, no, she wasn't that out of touch, clothes shops generally displayed their wares for all to peruse, she was sure of it, pretty sure at least.  
  
'Can I help you?'  
  
Turning around in relief she encountered a small unassuming young woman. Resisting the urge to get her in a strangle hold and beat some information out of her in the usual manner she summoned a smile, that she was sure was closer to a grimace.  
  
'I'm sorry, I was looking for a set of clothes to wear for the new school year, and I appear to have come to the wrong place.' Turning around to leave she was stopped in her tracks by the assistants next words.  
  
'No, indeed my dear; in fact, you've come to exactly the right place.' Stepping back into the shop she raised an eyebrow at the woman, allowing her to explain. 'How much would you be willing to spend on this fine day? Amused at the woman's odd use of language she had to pause slightly before answering.  
  
'Money isn't an issue. I have to buy what is in Vogue that is all that matters.' If possible the woman's smile widened even further. If possible the woman's smile got even wider.  
  
'Excellent, I'm sure we can accommodate you. Would you like to select the clothes yourself or would you like us to take notes and measurement and have them selected and delivered for you?' Wraith stepped back slightly and cocked her head to one side. They could do that nowadays? She started to smile, this was definitely more her style.  
  
'The second option, definitely the second option.' The woman nodded and then promptly disappeared. Looking around in confusions again Wraith wondered what was happening this time. Suddenly the woman reappeared and started to take rapid notes and measurement of every possibly kind. Getting a little testy by the end of it the woman thankfully got it over with quickly. She had never particularly liked physical contact, unless it came in the form of her fist meeting someone else's face. After taking her credit card details and home address she was free to go. One shop, never having to look at clothes, no margin for error in her selection; it seemed flawless. Grinning she climbed back in the car, far happier than when she had left it. Things were starting to run smoothly. 


	13. Chapter 13

You know, even I am starting to realise a pattern in these opening statements. Once again I'm sorry for the delay. I've had mock exams and actually do have the flu again; mustn't be my lucky year. Anyway, I should be able to update much more regularly now. Sorry to those who keep saying my characters are a bit immature, I'm trying my best to improve that, keep suggestions coming though.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
The next morning Ally slowly came awake, clinging to the sweet remains of her sleep it nevertheless left her grasp. A quick upwards glance told her Lakh was still asleep and his deep, even breathing confirmed it. Trying not to disturb him she carefully slid out of his arms and padded downstairs to the kitchen. At the bright light streaming in through the window her eyes burned slightly and she shielded them until they had time to adjust. Walking across the room she settled down on the sill and rested her head against the glass. The cold seemed to seep through into her skin, soothing her troubled mind.  
  
She was just so confused. Her life had been so simple, uncluttered, and now she barely knew which way was up, and which was down. Suddenly she had to deal with this new guy and the overwhelming emotions she felt for him. On top of that there was a whole new society that seemed intent on killing her apparently. Feeling a tear slide down her cheek she allowed it to flow unhindered. It left a sticky trail across her face but she was too weary to brush it away. More than anything right now, she just wanted her dad. But he wasn't here.  
  
She was almost ashamed at her childish needs; she should be able to deal with her own problems by now. By the end of the year, she would have left home, be on her own. The prospect scared the living daylights out of her. There was no way she'd be able to deal with all of this new stuff on top of that. She was only 17, and had led a pretty sheltered life, she just wasn't tough enough. Taking a shuddering breath she knocked her head lightly against the pane of glass. Well, she would never know until she tried.  
  
Climbing slightly unsteadily to her feet she saw her school bag lying on the floor in the corner of the room and shuddered. She could almost curse the beige, cotton satchel for reminding her. Today was the first day back at school. Yippee. Knowing it would be more hassle to miss it than it would be to attend the quietly went back up the stairs and took a quick shower. The warm water helped to wake her up and wash away the last remains of sleep and she quickly finished off and walked back into her room. When she pushed open the door she realised a slight problem. Here she was, standing in nothing but a towel and all her clothes were on the other side of the room. However, in order to get there, she had to pass her bed, where a rather large, sleeping male lay. Silently groaning she tried to walk as quietly as she could but when she put her foot on a loose board and it let out an ungodly wail she knew she was done for.  
  
Alerted by the sudden noise Lakh woke instantly and jerked straight upright, fists raising to defend himself. When his roving eyes encountered his soul mate, standing before him in naught but a skimpy towel his eyes widened slightly.  
  
'Good morning. My, but you look.wet this morning. What's the rush?' Cocking his head to the side in confusion he tried to make sense of the suddenly tense expression on her face. Watching the way her eyes kept darting across the room, and her white knuckles clenching the ends of her towel his gut clenched. Please, please, don't make her tell him she regretted what had happened between them. That was the only thing he didn't think he could stand.  
  
Seeing the scared expression on his face Ally relaxed slightly and gave him a wan smile. 'Today's the first day back at school.' Glancing back towards the wardrobe she stammered out a quick sentence while she dashed over, grabbed a relatively coordinated outfit, and then dashed back out again. 'Er, I just need to get some clothes, and, you know, get changed, and then I'll, er, have to go.' Wincing at her garbled words she scampered out to the safety of the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it she tried to regulate her breathing and get her heart to steady. Since she'd met Lakh, she'd been getting a much better cardiovascular work out, but it definitely wasn't doing her nerves all that good.  
  
Easing the comfortable jeans up her legs and over her hips, she fastened the zip with trembling fingers and then smoothed her hands over the soft material. Sighing with pleasure at the snug, comfortable feeling the pulled a deep purple jumper over her head and turned to look at her appearance in the mirror. Reaching for a brush she slowly worked it through the tangled length of her mahogany coloured hair and, as always, wistfully dreamt of having the brilliant green eyes of her long dead mother. Instead, staring back at her, where the dull brown eyes she had always secretly disliked. Due to it being stylishly short her hair was quickly drying naturally and she gently eased open the door and walked back into her room to sit on the edge of her bed. Looking over at Lakh she waited to hear what he had to say.  
  
Leaning back against the soft pillows Lakh ran a hand wearily over his face, brushing his overly long blonde hair out of his bright blue eyes. Feeling the bed dip slightly under her weight he smiled slightly, but didn't turn to look at her directly. 'I'll come with you. I know it seems petty, but while you're at school you'll be vulnerable to attack. I'll use a bit of mind control to get past any unwanted questions today and then ill get in touch with Daybreak tonight and make everything official.' Finally he turned to face her, all the questions plaguing his mind showing clearly on his face. 'Is that alright with you?'  
  
Knowing it was hard for him to change, and the sacrifice he was making for her Ally smiled and lent forward to kiss his cheek. 'I'll be happy to have you at my side.' Seeing the relief wash over his face when she didn't argue she felt guilt suffuse her at her earlier tantrums and hoped he knew she was sorry.  
  
~  
  
Wraith sat with the box on the table in front of her, her mouth hanging open in utter shock. The delivery man had come about quarter of an hour ago and she had signed for the clothes, and shoes, and quickly taken them inside. She had then opened the box and looked inside. After seeing the contents she had been paralysed, and hadn't been able to move ever since. It must be a mistake, there was no way this would be what she would have to wear, it just couldn't be. Some of the skirts inside were so short they would only look decent on very young girls, and yet, the waist size was big enough to assure her it was intended for her. That, and the personalised note she had found on top of the clothes thanking her for her purchase.  
  
In desperation she had turned on the television that had slowly been gathering dust in the corner of the apartment and had seen, to her dread, many other girls wearing similar attire. Walking back over to the box she carefully took everything out and sorted it into piles, hoping with all her might that there was something in there at least partially resembling what she had worn previously. In the end she decided that extremely tight trousers were better than skirts, as even if they did in fact reveal just as much, they still allowed a slightly better range of movement.  
  
Fighting against her instinct she shrugged out of her current clothes and with difficulty wriggled into the form fitting black, denim garment. When it then stretched to accommodate her movements she had to concede it wasn't as bad as she thought, but there was no way she felt more comfortable wearing them than her traditional, loose fitting attire. Noting with annoyance that there were no neutral coloured or dark tops she groaned in frustration; how was she to go unnoticed if they expected her to wear pink? Finding a rather revealing red top she sneered in disgust but pulled it over her head anyway. Red was the first colour to look like black in the dark, and even if she didn't like the style she had to remind herself that she was on a mission, and sacrifices were always necessary.  
  
Noting the annoyingly bright light outside she slipped on a pair of sunglasses and walked slowly to her car, trying to get used to shoes with a heel. Ridiculous invention, so impractical, but she supposed it would allow her to finally get her roundhouse kicks as high as she had always wanted. Taking a last longing look at the now familiar apartment she pulled away from the curb. There were times when she truly hated her job.  
  
~ 


	14. Chapter 14

Read, enjoy, and if you have time, please review.  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Fully clothed now but still feeling very nervous Ally carefully closed the door behind Lakh, trying not to notice how close he was standing to her, the comforting waves of heat radiating from his body and the smell of him wrapping around her. Letting out a withheld breath she stepped out onto the pavement, slipping on her sunglasses and led the way to school. She lived only 5 minutes walk away and in all honestly liked the fresh air and exercise.  
  
Lakh looked over and tried to read the emotion on her face. He still had no comprehension of even half the human emotions but he was trying to learn. Figuring out that she was worried at least he reached over and entwined her fingers with his. When she turned around and smiled at him he felt his stomach clench up and then release again and marvelled at the feeling. As they neared the school and throngs and throngs of teenagers started swarming around them he smiled slightly. He could feel their life force pumping through them, their energy, their lack of energy compared to him, and felt stronger, his confidence rising.  
  
Remembering he was on a mission, not just another joy ride he began scanning the crowd for any possible threat. When he caught sight of her old boyfriend attempting to make his way over towards her he put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her closer to him and glared. The guy looked very confused but intimidated enough to think again. He wouldn't attribute any of his activities to actual intellect as he severely doubted he had claim to any.  
  
Ally gave him an odd look at the possessive gesture and then saw where he was looking and grinned. Then she felt inordinately guilty so just ducked her head and lead Lakh through to the reception. Seeing another girl already there getting her timetable sorted out she tried not to listen in but couldn't help it. She was sure she was born curious of everything. The girl was new, and a very snappy dresser by the looks of things. She seemed nice, but very confused. Turning around to Lakh she started talking to him under her breath, sliding her timetable towards him.  
  
'This is my timetable. I don't want to know how you're going to get the same one as me without any previous school records but, just do it as quickly as you can or we'll be late for first lesson.'  
  
Suddenly she heard the girl in front of her start to speak loudly in an authorative but distressed voice. 'Yes, its all well and good telling me the lessons are in these rooms but how am I meant to get to them if I don't know where they are?' Taking pity on the girl but trying to sound like she hadn't been listening in on the entire conversation she raised her voice slightly, clearing her throat.  
  
'I can show you around if you like, I've been going here for three years, I know my way around pretty well. My name is Ally.'  
  
Wraith smiled and said assented. God, humans were so gullible. She had been standing here, loudly protesting and demanding attention for the last five minutes waiting for the girl to take the bait. All her sources had told her she was an out and out do-gooder so she had tried to play on that trait to get her what she wanted. The girls' undivided attention and hopefully her friendship. This of course would hopefully lead to being let into her confidence and told what she needed to know. Otherwise things might have to get a little messy, and she never liked having to tidy up her mess afterwards. Better to never make it in the first place in her opinion. At the sight of the dragon by her side she hesitated slightly, then realised what an incompetent fool he was and smirked. Looks like she was the only one doing her job properly today, oh what a shame. She'd just have to try and cultivate that.  
  
When the other girl appeared to have finished talking to the receptionist, Lakh leant over the counter to ensure he had her full attention.  
  
'Now now, young man, please don't lean on the counter. It's there for a reason and I'm not sure it can take your weight.' Lakh had to seriously restrain the impulse to laugh uproariously at being a young man. He was just a little bit older than the lady in front of him, just a little. Pushing away the superior smirk he reached into her mind carefully as he spoke to her.  
  
'I've just transferred from a different school, I'm very sorry for any inconvenience. My lesson plan was sent to me ahead of time in the post, but they said that the details from my previous school make take a while to get through. I'm sure if you look hard enough you'll find my details are in the database or will be very soon.' Releasing his hold on her mind he turned around and saw the two girls were still conversing. For a moment he thought he saw something odd shimmer through the other girls' aura and his hackles went up. Then, just as quickly it disappeared and he made himself chill out. He couldn't read anything off her; she was just a slightly odd, harmless human girl. He was hardly going to begrudge Ally the right to make new friends. Following behind the two he kept his eyes open and his ears pricked. There was something up, his instincts were tingling, and he could almost smell it in the air. For the life of him he couldn't put his finger on it though, and it was driving him insane!  
  
Ally smiled behind at Lakh and moved so she was walking slightly closer to him. When their hands brushed she rubbed her thumb lightly against his fingers, parting them and enfolding them in her own. Feeling happier and more secure with the simple touch she pointed out the girl's classroom and wished her the best of luck with her day.  
  
When Wraith realised they were in different classes she swore silently. Could they get nothing right! Thinking quickly on her feet she reached out and lay her hand on her arm, sending a stream of coercion with it, feeling it sink under her skin and flow through her veins.  
  
'Thank you so much for all your help. If you have the time if you could show me to lunch later I'd really appreciate it.' Turning around and walking into the classroom only very few say the smile that bloomed on her face, transforming it. Not a smile of joy, or malice, one of power. 


	15. Chapter 15

First I want to say thank you to those who reviewed since I last updated. I was amazed at the number of them I got and was so glad you all liked it. I hope you all like this chapter just as much.  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Wraith returned to her temporary residence and scanned the street before closing the door behind her. The day had been productive in some parts and unproductive in others. However, to sum up a days work it hadn't been all that bad. She had been able to sleep through the lessons they were that elementary. Snorting she remembered how the students had complained. Everything had been too hard and too much work, they had no idea of the real meaning of work.  
  
Leaning her back against the door for a moment she let her eyes slide shut. Her body started to sway and she felt her eyelids becoming heavy, her feet start to ache and her mind drift to the blissful thoughts of sleep. Reaching her hand down weary fingers sought out the ever elusive bit of modern technology that was so prized by the youths of today. Easing it out of her bag she turned it on and seeing there was no messages she sighed out a breath in relief and threw it onto a nearby couch.  
  
Drifting into her bedroom, her limbs like leaden feathers, weightless and yet heavy at the same time she shed her clothes on autopilot, laying them neatly on a chair. Everything had a purpose, and there was nothing in the entire house that was non essential. To an outsider it might look cold, uninhabited and soul destroying but to her it was essential. She thriven on utter and complete control, and this was the only way she could maintain it.  
  
Pulling back the covers of the bed with shaking fingers her body sank down and her muscles sang with relief as they were finally allowed to relax and conform to the mattress. A bird started chirping at an irritating and intrusive pitch which she managed to ignore for a while but eventually started grating against her nerves. Concentrating her mind on the sound and its source for a minute the sound ended abruptly. Smiling in satisfaction she gently rested her head down on the pillow again and followed the deep breathing exercises she had been taught as a child to maximise the regenerative powers of her sleep. Soon her mind drifted to oblivion and her thought started to wander.  
  
~  
  
Suddenly she found herself in her old training room, eyes purposefully kept low, avoiding anyone's gaze. There was a large punch bag in front of her and her entire mind was focused on it. All her eyes could see was the bag, swaying gently backwards and forwards, every detail of the plastic covering indelibly marked into her brain so she could shut her eyes and know exactly what it looked like, how it moved. Her nostrils were filled with the tangy smell of sweat and it burned into her eyes. She pulled her leg up, spun around and smacked the shin into the bag, feeling it rock and slide away. The ominous and repetitive sound of the chains creaking filled the room but she did not stop. Her arms raised and followed a well rehearsed pattern of punches, the muscles in her arms screamed for release but the panic and tension in her body made her deny them.  
  
Her toes dug into the dirt floor with each movement, trying to get purchase and retain her balance but sending dust into her eyes each time. The urge to cough burned in her throat but she didn't want to show any sign of weakness so choked it back. Feeling eyes watching her she stumbled and felt the flimsy material of her trousers tear at the seams. Landing on her back she scrambled up to her feet. Her eyes caught sight of a red stain on the far wall and she froze, unable to tear her eyes away. The rotting grey wall had what at first looked like a large splatter of red paint across it. That was until you noticed the darker streaks in it that were almost black and then the smell hit you, rolling over you in waves. The smell was metallic. It pulled at you, making you take deeper breaths, trying to absorb as much of it as you could from the air, and yet at the same time, churning your stomach with its sweet, nauseating stench.  
  
A sharp blow in the centre of her back sent her crashing into the bag and falling to the floor where she just managed to tuck her legs under her and roll, coming to her feet. Slowly and painfully she turned around only to be grabbed by the collar of her shirt and lifted from the ground. The face in front of her made her stomach scramble in fear. The voice whispered and rasped.  
  
'You weren't guarding your back, that's inexcusable. I'm not paying to keep you up so that you can waste my time. You better sort yourself out and fast or you'll find your life isn't worth living.'  
  
Release her legs squirmed in the air until they found solid ground and stability again. Breathe gasping in and out, eyes wide and body shaking she applied herself with the dedication only extreme fear can create to the task in front of her. Keep going, keep moving, keep concentrating. It's just you now, you have to look after yourself, have to stay alive. Falling into the rhythm she felt her breath come in and out at regular intervals again, her mind ease. Not so bad, could be worse, could be the other lessons, those were the worst.  
  
Her mind drifting she found herself somewhere else. Standing in the open, she faced a barren landscape. To anyone else it would appear there was nothing around as far as the eye could see. Sand stretched out, mile upon mile upon mile. But she knew. She knew. In her minds eye she could see a place far, far away. Grit flew up and plastered her clothes against her body. Whorls of sand swirled at her feet but all went unnoticed. Her thoughts were racing far ahead of her physical body, coursing through the air, over land, below water, and through time. Coming to their destination she found a building.  
  
Sunlight streamed down through the windows of a small and sheltered hut. Sending pretty patterns skittering along the floor a lone man sat writing on parchment at a slanted desk. Shoulders hunched his hands trembled, blotting ink over the page. Cursing under his breath with astonishing viciousness he rubbed his sleeve across the stains to dry them out and continued his work. The wind rustled through the leaves outside, everything was calm, and then with a quiet puff of smoke and flame started at the corner of the mans page.  
  
Staring at it in astonishment he leapt to his feet knocking his chair back. Throwing it to the floor he stamped on it several times then lifted his foot expecting to see it doused. To his astonishment the new rush of air set the fire to a roar and the flames shot up to the roof of his wooden abode setting fire to the rafters. Suddenly his jaw went slack and his face white and he ran to the door, frantically tugging it. He looked unsurprised as it refused to open and at the same result with all the windows and even a trapdoor in the floor.  
  
She watched, silently, until everything faded to silence again. Sheep started bleating nearby and voices drifted in and out of hearing. A sound started building at the corner of her mind however and she slowly travelled back, settling again into her body. She felt the presence around her, ever watching, always there. Then she heard it, the sound getting louder and louder till it crashed down on her ears like thunder. Driven to her knees she covered her ears, begging the noise to stop. It was only now that she realised what the sound was.  
  
Laughter. 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
Read, review, and tell me what you think. I've tried to take on board all the comments everyone's made over the past couple of weeks. Sorry updates have remained sporadic. School work has been surprisingly lengthy and complex giving me less and less time free. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.  
  
Wraith lay in bed, curled on her side with the duvet pulled protectively around her. Her eyes were unfocused, not taking in what they were facing; her mind running over the events of the day, trying to come to conclusions on what had happened and what would happen in the future. A twig scraped against her window and she jerked out of her reverie. Logically she knew that it was a twig, something utterly harmless, and yet, there was always the childish, primitive fear that made her duck her head lower, out of sight, and wait for the daylight, and safety to come again.  
  
Muffled sounds coming from the room next door reminded her of Lakh's presence. After a few awkward moments she had suggested he sleep in her father's room in the room next to hers. She had seen the hurt look that came across his face when she had said it and felt guilt suffuse her body. Sighing she flipped onto her other side and tried to get comfortable but her mind simply would not rest. The night before was...hard to explain. They had simply lain in each others arms, such a simple act, nothing more, and yet, it had been filled with such tenderness and meaning, like a silent promise. Still, after the moment had passed she was left in turmoil once again.  
  
A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away furiously, annoyed at the pathetic response to her own self pity. She just wanted everything to be clean cut again. It was so difficult to decide what was right and wrong. For her own piece of mind she tried to convince herself what she had done was right. Although knowing full well Lakh was the other part of her soul, who she was destined to be with, she barely knew him. It was ridiculous rushing into a relationship; they had all the time in the world. As a cold draught swept across her back she was instantly reminded of the warm, comforting feeling of being held by the one she loved. Lie. She didn't feel she was rushing into anything. Her body and mind mourned every time he was distanced from her.  
  
Her father would return from his trip tomorrow. That would herald the start of a whole new series of complexities. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't tell her father about Lakh's true identity; it was just too dangerous. She had no way whatsoever of being able to predict how he would respond. One thing's for sure though, she doubted without the help of the same special connection and mental insight she'd had he would be as accepting of the new ideas as she was. He would probably call the police, and then send her to a psychiatric institution. She loved her father, but she could easily imagine him waving to her from the door step, tears streaming down his face while she was carried away, sedated.  
  
When they had arrived home after a blissfully simple day at school they had discussed the new arrangements that would have to be set in place. Lakh had immediately phoned up his superiors and, after an exceedingly odd conversation that seemed to involve a lot of frustrated demands and responses, and even some cryptic comments about mugs and packages, they told him he'd be officially enlisted in the school by the morning. Hanging up the phone she had watched him carefully turn off the phone and then wearily run a hand through his hair in what she'd noticed was a familiar habit for him. Over the short time they had known each other she had learnt much about him. One fact was that he detested the bureaucracy involved in his job. He had been doing what he thought was right for millennia without having to report to anyone. Suddenly having to explain his every action to someone else, being second guessed, and ordered what to do, was not a change that came easily to him.  
  
Reaching out she ran her knuckles lightly over the bottom of his jaw in an effort to sooth his nerves and comfort her; the rough scrape of his developing stubble was ever familiar and enforced the ever present link between them. Lifting his eyes he had smiled at her and slid his arms around her waist to slowly pull her into his lap. Nestling her head against his chest she had reminded him of the imminent return of her father. When he groaned and bashed his head against the wall her head whipped back up and she became fully alert.  
  
'What are you doing? Stop over reacting, it's not the end of the world.' When he didn't seem particularly inclined to respond she had continued on in her tirade, knowing he was listening. 'He leaves in the morning half an hour before I do, and returns half an hour afterwards. Between those two times you are free to assume whatever form you want. However,' she began, knowing this was not going to go down well, 'although I know how much you dislike it, you're going to have to pretend to be my dog again when he is home. He won't believe you have simply disappeared, and I seriously doubt you want to explain to him who you really are and your reason for being here.' She took his snort as a positive reply and leant forward to look at his face.  
  
The rest of his stay here was not going to be easy and he knew it. Having to change back and forth between dog and animal was very tiring and it totally sapped him of his strength. Normally this wouldn't have bothered him very much but he was very aware of the part of this mission that had been outlined very clearly. His main objective was to protect this girl. His soulmate. She was his responsibility, and in all honesty he would rather die than see any harm come to her. His regular weekly battle with head quarters over the phone had been as frustrating as always. They refused time and again to let him do what he wanted and give him the freedom he required. When doing something complicated it took all your attention, there was no time, and no inclination on his part to deduct from that in order to explain exactly what was happening at the time to someone who didn't really need to know anyway. Fighting to maintain a calm composure for Ally he lifted his head and softly addressed her.  
  
'If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. My senses are more powerful as a dog at any rate I suppose. I'll stay with you during the day at school in the human form, and then change when we arrive back here. If at any time you wish to communicate with me, simply talk to me normally and I can respond using telepathy no matter what my form. I'll sleep on this sofa so you'll always know where I am if you ever need anything.' When he saw some of the tension leave her face he sighed a breath of relief and then retired to his temporary room to catch up on some well needed sleep to prepare for the next day at school. Technically, dragons didn't need to sleep, but for some reason he had always preferred to. As with humans, it seemed to help focus his mind, and relieve some of the stresses that accumulated during the course of the day. Propping the door open before he entered fully he pulled back the sheets and slumped down onto the bed. His muscles relaxing with a sigh of relief he kept one part of his mind constantly alert in case of any danger and began the gradual descent to slumber.  
  
Hearing the click of his light go out Ally desperately tried to fall asleep. Her eyes were carefully closed and muscles relaxed but nothing seemed to work. Her mind would simply not shut down. Going back over the day her thoughts returned to one thing that had been puzzling her. The new girl. She had seemed very nice, and Ally had become convinced they would become friends, but she hadn't failed to notice there was something distinctly...odd, about her. She couldn't think about what it was exactly. Her appearance didn't ring any particular alarm bells. Her hair, features, clothes and accent were all relatively standard and American, even if she was rather pretty. She didn't know what other subjects she was taking, so it wasn't that either. It wasn't how she spoke exactly, but perhaps, what she said. She had a rather old fashioned way of forming her sentences and didn't seem particularly inclined towards swearing or teenage slang. Generally that would just mean a very strict, upper class upbringing, which her appearance would support. However, there was something about the way she moved. She almost walked with the swagger of a street fighter, someone confident of their physical strength, and prowess, which, one look at her slender physique denied. Rolling over again her thoughts began to ease. She was just a rich snob like all the others. Maybe she'd turn out nice, maybe she wouldn't, it really didn't matter to her.  
  
~  
  
Wraith jerked upright, drenched in sweat. The memory of her dreams made her shudder. During the day she managed to block out her past, but during the night, it came back to haunt her. Knowing there was no way she was getting back so sleep now she carefully eased back the covers and walked to the open space in the middle of the room. Reaching under a floor board her heads felt around for a few moments until she unearthed a long, double edged sword. Long and antiquated it looked ornamental more than anything else, but she knew its carefully concealed power all to well. Standing with her feet braced shoulder width apart she began the slow, sweeping movements that began the repetitive pattern. As night faded to day she kept up the relentless practice. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Her nightclothes were clinging to her body, her feet slipping on the boards with the sweat dripping off them, but she refused to stop. Her mind was more powerful than her body. One day, she would prove to them all how powerful she was. One day she would finally earn their respect. 


End file.
